Chapter 46 [VIP]
Sitting on the mule cart, the two held hands tightly, neither wanting to let go.
"How have you been doing these past two days while I was away?"
"It's okay, I just miss you a lot."
Wang Ying was amused by his bluntness, and flicked his head, saying, "You've learned to be glib too."
Chen Qingyan blinked and said, "No, this is the truth."
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The two looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh out loud, their hearts filled with joy, as if they could never get close enough.
"How is everything at home? Is my mother in good health?"
“It’s all good. I was just worried about you. I told her that once the house on the estate is finished, I’ll invite them to come and stay for a few days.”
Wang Ying paused for a moment and continued, "The building materials have all been arranged and will be delivered to the estate in a few days. After lunch, we'll ask Village Chief Chen to come over and discuss the house construction."
"Okay, whatever you say."
When they got home, the puppy came out to greet them, wagging its tail and circling around their feet. Wang Ying picked it up from behind, afraid of stepping on it.
This puppy was brought by Chen Xi's grandson. His family's big dog had a litter of puppies, and this one was the prettiest. He specially brought it to the owner to guard the house.
"Little one, you're in for a treat today. I'll make you some stewed bones for dinner."
The puppy seemed to understand and let out two soft whimpers.
Uncle Chen and Dunzi took things out of the car. Li and Chen Rong had brought back a lot of food this time. If they weren't worried about it not keeping, they would probably have bought a pig and brought it to the farm.
At noon, Wang Ying stewed a big pot of pork ribs and asked Dunzi to deliver a bowl to Chen Xi's house. "Tell Chen Zhuangtou to come over after he finishes eating and come with me to take a look at the place where the house is being built."
"Okay!" Dunzi agreed with a smile.
The food had just been delivered when Chen Xi returned with Dunzi.
"Have you eaten, boss? Come and have a bite to eat with us."
Chen Xi waved his hand repeatedly and said, "We've already eaten. In the spring, when we're not busy, we usually have two meals a day."
"Then let's sit down and eat together. We've stewed so much food, it'll go bad if we don't finish it."
Unable to refuse his warm invitation, Chen Xi pulled up a stool and sat down. "I heard that the young master is planning to build a house. Have you chosen a location yet?"
Wang Ying said, "I've chosen one, it's near Beishan Nuanquan."
Chen Xi was puzzled. "Nuanquan isn't in the village. Isn't it too far to build a house there?"
Wang Ying waved her hand, "It's not far, what I want is peace and quiet."
After finishing their meal, the group went to Nuanquan near Beishan Mountain, where they could hear the gurgling sound of flowing water from a distance.
The hot spring was larger than Wang Ying had imagined, with three pools in total. The largest pool had a water temperature of nearly fifty degrees Celsius, and the steaming water looked like a fairyland. The other two smaller pools were slightly cooler, between thirty and forty degrees Celsius.
Because the pool water contains sulfur, there is no need to fear snakes and insects in the summer, which is one of the reasons why Wang Ying chose to build her house here.
"Tell the people in the village these next few days that anyone who has free time can come and help build the houses. They will pay ten coins a day. It would be best to finish building them before the wheat harvest."
"How could we ask for money? The boss just said so, and everyone came to help!"
"We can't let this work go to waste. Tell everyone to work hard. If anyone tries to slack off, don't tolerate it. Just kick them out."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely keep an eye on things for the boss!"
On her way back, passing through wheat fields, Wang Ying thought of the plot of land she had planted in the fall. "How are the crops growing?"
Chen Xi looked worried and said, "There's been little rain this year. It hasn't rained or snowed since the New Year. The wheat in the fields is growing well right now, but I'm afraid that if the weather gets warmer in a few days and it still doesn't rain, it will affect the heading of the wheat..."
Wang Ying said, "If all else fails, we'll irrigate it."
"We watered it the same way last year, but when it's dry, the river can easily dry up, and those who live far from the riverbank probably won't be able to get water."
It seems that there is indeed a drought in the area. I wonder if my Changfeng No. 3 variety can withstand the drought. If the yield is good, it can be promoted throughout the village next year.
It must be said that Chen Xi was very efficient. As soon as he got home, he asked his son to call all the villagers, young and old, to his house to discuss helping the landlord build a house.
Ten coins a day is a good job, especially during the off-season for farming. It's a way to earn some extra money to supplement the family income, and everyone is eager to do it.
Chen Xi couldn't possibly take everyone; some of the older stone pickaxes were too heavy to lift, so what use would they be?
Finally, they selected thirty strong men and a few experienced carpenters and bricklayers, and began digging the foundation the next day.
Because the place Wang Ying chose was relatively remote, some distance from the village, and there was only a narrow path worn into the fields nearby, everyone decided to build a road first.
With more people working faster, they paved a two-meter-wide gravel road in less than two days.
Then came the digging of the foundation. Wang Ying originally planned to build a two-story building, but he didn't know much about construction and could only draw up rough blueprints for reference.
After reviewing the blueprints, the old bricklayer said, "Master, you've left the window too big. It'll be unbearably cold inside in winter."
Wang Ying said, "Then let's make the window a little smaller."
"If it's a two-story building, there should be more wood in the middle partition, preferably cypress wood, otherwise it might collapse after a long time."
In ancient times, without reinforced concrete, building a two-story house was indeed difficult and the cost was more than double. After much consideration, Wang Ying decided to build an ordinary single-story house.
This is much simpler. Five main rooms, plus two rear rooms, and a kitchen and servants' quarters on the side. A square courtyard like this would definitely look very impressive.
A separate garden was set aside on the back hill, with a pavilion built there, where one can enjoy flowers and tea in their leisure time.
The hot spring water can be piped directly into the bathroom at home, making bathing much more convenient in the future.
On the eighth day of the third lunar month, the bricks and tiles ordered from the town were delivered one after another, and the foundation was also dug up, so the construction of the villa officially began!
*
Back in town, ever since Lin Qiu and Cao Kun got engaged, this guy has been coming over every few days.
He came again as soon as the shop opened today, accompanied by several young porters. Everyone knew about their relationship, and they would jokingly call each other "sister-in-law" whenever they met.
"Get out of here, your sister-in-law is shy, don't tease him."
Lin Qiu blushed as she went to pick out the leftover vegetables that had been sold out yesterday.
Cao Kun scratched his head and chuckled twice. He walked to Lin Qiu's side and took out a cloth bag from his pocket.
“A few days ago, I went to Song County to deliver goods and met an old man who carves stones. I asked him to carve a little sheep.”
Lin Qiu happened to be born in the Year of the Sheep. When he took the carving, he saw that the little sheep was only the size of a thumb, and it was so lifelike and cute.
"He's wasting money again."
"No, no, I delivered a letter for that old man, and he didn't ask for my money."
Lin Qiu curled up the corners of her mouth and stuffed the lamb into the pouch at her waist. "Don't keep running to town. It takes several days to go back and forth. Aren't you tired?"
"Coming to see you is not tiring."
Lin Qiu glared at him, then turned to see Qingyun and Lin Sui smirking. "Your younger brother and sister are here. Aren't you ashamed?"
"I don't think I have anything to be ashamed of in my own husband."
Lin Qiu stomped on his foot in embarrassment and turned to look at the ledger. Only then did Cao Kun stop teasing him.
"I'm leaving now. I'm going to Yangting County in a few days, and I'm afraid it will be almost half a month before I can come back."
Upon hearing this, Lin Qiu looked up, hesitated, and said, "On the road, be careful on the road..."
"Hmm." Cao Kun tossed him a money bag, then turned and left with a few of his underlings.
Lin Qiu was taken aback. He picked it up and saw that it contained more than ten taels of silver. He hurriedly chased after it, but the porters had already driven away in their mule cart.
Cao Kun, sitting in the back of the car, smiled and waved to him, "Buy whatever you like to eat, and get yourself a couple of spring clothes."
The driver exclaimed, "Hey, Brother Kun is really generous!"
Cao Kun grinned from ear to ear, "That's my husband, how could I not be generous?"
"They're not even married yet, shouldn't they have to flatter the mother-in-law first?"
“You’re right, let’s turn around and go to the Chen family.”
The guys burst into laughter; it was like an old house on fire that couldn't be put out.
Cao Kun couldn't help but laugh, but when he arrived at the Chen family's door, he couldn't laugh anymore. He saw a man carrying a child standing outside the door, who was none other than Lin Changbin, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
"Tell the people inside that I am Lin Changbin, your uncle-in-law, and please let me in!"
The doorman, Lin, had already been instructed not to let this person go. "Go back to where you came from. Our aunt doesn't want to see you."
"What are you saying! I haven't seen my two children in a long time. Even if we're divorced, I'm still their father. Shouldn't I be allowed to see Qiu'er and Sui'er?"
"Then please wait here, I'll go and report it."
Lin Changbin rubbed his hands, looking annoyed. Life had become increasingly difficult since his divorce. Widow Yu wasn't a responsible person; after marrying her, he discovered she was incredibly lazy. She didn't wash clothes, cook, let alone weave cloth to earn money. If he argued with her, she would cry and complain that Lin Changbin couldn't earn any money.
Lin Changbin was also in a dilemma. He had offended Fang Erlang because of the marriage, and his job at the pawnshop was terminated. He was too old to find other work, and he didn't have the capital to reopen the private school. He could only make a living by writing letters for people, barely scraping by with three or five coins a day.
Later, when life became unbearable, the widow returned to prostitution. How could a man like him tolerate this? He had no choice but to divorce her again. Now, having nowhere else to turn, he has swallowed his pride and come begging for reconciliation.
After waiting a while, Chen Rong came out of the house and said through the door, "It was clearly written in black and white in the divorce agreement that we would never see each other again. What are you doing here now?"
"Ah Rong... open the door and let me in..."
"Pah! How dare you call me Ah Rong? Get lost!"
"How could you say that about me?"
Chen Rong angrily cursed, "What's wrong with telling you to get out? Now that you can't make ends meet, you think of me? Why didn't you think of us when we got divorced? You're willing to send your son away for a prostitute, how dare you even show your face here!"
“I know I was wrong… Ah Rong, come back. From now on, I will adopt Fu Gui and have you as my mother. Qiu’er should get married too. There are no good families in this town. Come home with me.”
Chen Rong was so angry she almost fell over. How could he say something like that, even wanting her to help raise that bastard?
"Get the hell out of here! Get as far away from me as you can, raise your illegitimate child yourself, and don't even think about my son again!"
After the people inside left, Lin Changbin kicked the door angrily, while the children behind him cried weakly from hunger.
Cao Kun stared at him for a moment with a stern face, then stepped forward and said, "Lin Changbin, is that right?"
"Yes, who are you?"
Before he could react, Cao Kun knocked him unconscious with a single blow and ordered his men to carry him to the car.
"Second Master, what are you doing?"
"Send them back to the county town so as not to disturb my husband and mother-in-law's peaceful life."
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